Best Age-Erasing Yoga Poses

by Nicole Papantoniou

You don't have to run a marathon to help your heart out—any of the following poses will do! Fight gravity, release stress, reduce anxiety and improve your posture with this anti-aging mini-series provided by Kimberly Fowler, founder of YAS Fitness Centers, an LA-based yoga and spinning studio where stars such as Olivia Wilde and Rita Wilson have trained. To maximum results, Fowler, author of the No Om Zone($20; Amazon.com)recommends doing the following poses in a row, four times a week.

Downward Facing Dog

Come down to the floor on your hands and knees. Bring your hands about shoulder-distance apart, palms flat on the floor. Bend your knees, engage your core muscles and pull yourself back to what looks like an inverted V. Bring your feet about hip-distance apart. Try to get your heels down and your butt up to the ceiling. Relax your neck. Hold for 45 seconds to one minute.

Bridge

Lie on the floor. Bend your knees, placing your feet flat on the floor, hip-distance apart and parallel. Reach down with your fingertips to see if you can feel your heels. If not, then walk your heels a little closer to your body. Press your weight into your feet to lift your hips up toward the ceiling. Keeping your thighs parallel, bring your arms underneath you and try to clasp your hands together. Roll your shoulder blades towards each other. Hold this pose for 45 seconds to one minute, then release. Roll slowly back to the floor. Repeat two more times.

Fish

Start lying down on your back. Bring your hands, palms down, under your butt. Lean on and bend your elbows by pressing them into the floor. Lift your chest to the ceiling so your back is arched. Bring your elbows toward each other and drop your head back, toward the floor behind you. Keeping your legs straight and on the floor, point your toes and hold for 30 seconds. Release your arms and let your back roll down to the floor.